Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on offsetting accommodation costs in seafarers’ wages.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) continues to review the recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC) on seafarers and the Accommodation Offset, and will respond in due course.

Every year, the LPC proactively engages with workers, employers and other stakeholders, and invites all interested parties to submit evidence to their consultations on the minimum wage, the accommodation offset and other low pay issues. The Government is grateful for these representations, and they are all considered carefully.

DBT works closely with the Department for Transport in relation to seafarers’ wages, and on other relevant matters.